Somerset Community College to Host Art Exhibit to Promote Autism Awareness

One of the more than sixty pieces to be displayed in the exhibit “Cory’s World,” to be held at SCC’s East End Gallery the Somerset Campus during April, National Autism Awareness Month.

The works of artist Cory Bond will be on exhibit in SCC’s East End Gallery on the Somerset Campus during the month of April as a means of drawing attention to autism. April is National Autism Awareness Month.

The Somerset Community College East End Gallery, in collaboration with the SCC Student Government Association, will host an exhibit, “Cory’s World,” during the month of April, which is National Autism Awareness Month. The exhibit will feature more than sixty works by SCC student Cory Bond, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 32 months.

Bond, a 2012 graduate of Rockcastle County High School, has demonstrated a longstanding interest in art, according to his mother, Lisa. “Cory began drawing with sidewalk chalk at the age of three. Art is everything to him," she said. "It is as important to him as breathing. He communicates and expresses himself through art.”

Bond, whose works have been displayed at the Rockcastle County Public Library and Rockcastle Regional Hospital, hopes that there is sufficient interest in his artwork to result in a career. Private collectors have begun to show an interest in his work, which may be viewed on his website at corybondartwork.com.

Bond enrolled in SCC’s Drawing I course, but found a love for painting while enrolled in the Painting I class. He continues to study art at SCC. “Cory’s interaction with his peers in the studio has been positive,” stated Darlene Libbey, associate professor of art at SCC. “We are teaching each other, and the day I stop learning from my students is the day I need to retire.”

“Cory’s World” will be on display in the SCC East End Gallery from April 1 – 30. A catered reception will be held in the gallery on April 3 from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. The gallery is located in Stoner Hall on the Somerset Campus, 808 Monticello St., Somerset, KY. For questions about the exhibit, contact darlene.libbey@kctcs.edu.